5 ACC schools in initial AP Poll, Duke basketball preseason No. 1

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by Brian Geisinger Thursday November 02, 2017

5 ACC schools in initial AP Poll, Duke basketball preseason No. 1

Duke freshmen players Javin DeLaurier (12), Jordan Goldwire (14), and Alex O'Connell (15) react after teammate Wendell Carter, Jr. (34) dunks against Northwest Missouri State, during an NCAA college exhibition basketball game, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017 in Durham, N.C. (Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer via AP)

For the second straight year, Duke basketball enters the season as the No. 1 team in the nation. We can debate the merits of polls, especially those of the preseason variety, but five ACC teams make the cut. That’s the most of any other conference.

No. 1 Duke
No. 9 North Carolina
No. 13 Miami
No. 14 Notre Dame
No. 16 Louisville

The Big Ten landed four teams in debut poll, led by No. 2 Michigan State, which was the second most of any league. The SEC, Big East and Pac-12 all feature three teams each.

Duke collected 33 of the 65 first place votes; Michigan State got 13. Arizona, ranked No. 3, actually had the second most first place votes — 18. The final first place vote went to Kansas; the Jayhawks check in at No. 4 overall.

For a look at the complete list, check here.

Duke voted ACC basketball preseason No. 1; Colson ACC preseason POY